A former local government chief executive has been appointed as chair of the Community Cohesion Panel that will work alongside the Ministerial Group concentrating on this topic.The Home Office says the panel will comprise around a dozen people with knowledge of the issues raised by events such as the disturbances in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham last Summer. It will also help integrate Community Cohesion into policy across Whitehall and local government.

The NHS is forecasting savings of 18.5 million pounds through a new software deal with Novell.The organisation has secured a single annual software licence agreement for the whole service, replacing the current system of individual authorities and trusts placing several thousand individual orders.